The Healing Power of Laughter
by Tom Kertes

Helping sick children feel better is no joke. But for the over 300 third-grade kids at Manhattan’s PS 128, learning that they can help others feel better through humor has been serious business.

“This project teaches them to read, write and, at the same time, to become better citizens through learning the importance of helping others,” Elaine Farber, the teacher who conceived of Project HEAL—Health, Education and Laughter. Farber was standing in line at the bank when she saw a poster about “Comedy Cures!” a non-profit foundation that “really caught my eye and gave me a surge of inspiration.” Farber contacted Saranne Rothberg, the founder, who learned about the healing power of laughter when, during her own cancer radiation treatment, her eight-year old daughter brought her a joke-book at the hospital.

And thus, a community project was born.

“Comic books were already part of the literacy standards at the school,” said Farber, a teacher for over 20 years. “So we thought, why not do a project of the children writing, researching and collecting their own jokes? And, in the end, why not have the students put together a Wellness Joke Book and present it to sick children at a hospital? Really, just think of the powerfully layered learning experience of third-grade students doing something unique like that.”

Reflecting the bilingual nature of the school and the neighborhood, the jokes are in both English and Spanish. The large, colorful, laminated joke books were written, illustrated, annotated and put together by the children of PS 128.

At the presentation of the books at New York Presbyterian Hospital, not many eyes managed to remain dry. Some cried because it was so touching to see so many children, many of whom don’t have much to laugh about in their own lives, so happy and proud about their accomplishment. And some laughed until tears came because the jokes—at least some of the jokes—were so funny.

Here is one example:

Kid: “Mom, I’m not going back to school today.”

Mom: “Why not?”

Kid: “Well, yesterday the teacher told us that ‘3 plus 2 was five, 4 plus 1 was five, and 5 plus 0 was five.’”

Mom: “So?”

Kid: “So I’m not going back to a teacher who can’t make up his mind.”

“I’m proud to have a school where every single teacher really tries to go above and beyond the call of duty,” said Blanca Battino, principal of PS 128, in her address. “Mrs. Farber and Saranne were the engines to this project. But nothing could have been accomplished without the commitment and enthusiasm of these wonderful kids. They’ve learned so much from this project in so many ways. But I’m certain that the single most important thing they’ve learned was that a big part of life is giving love and joy to others.” #

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